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Macromedia Dreamweaver 4
by LisaW82
Whilst everyone knows that Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 is nowhere near being the newest version of Dreamweaver on the market, it does still have everything you really need to be able to create your own web sites from scratch and put them live on the internet. Obviously newer version in the Adobe CS series' will have more features and may ... have been made easier to use, but that does not take away from the effectiveness and reliability of the MX 2004 version being reviewed here.
Firstly, when opening the box, the installation is very easy and fast to do and the instruction manual, should you choose to use it, is comprehensive and easy to read. However, a quick search on the internet will find you lots of video tutorials for you to work through which, being a visual person, made it easier for me to pick up.
The software interface may look a little daunting at first but it reall is very clear and gets easier by the day once you start to use it regularly. There can be no doubting the power of Dreamweaver 4 and I can proudly say that I had a web site up and running within 3 weeks of buying the product. Obviously my newer sites are a lot better though as I start to integrate Flash movies and Fireworks into the proceedings.
If you are looking to use this as a coder or a designer it is definitely the program for you as you can easily use and switch between both set ups. You can even have a split screen mode which shows you both and as you click on an image or section of the actual design it will take you instantly to where that code is in the HTML / CSS mark up.
The site set up menu is also very easy to use and assuming you have bought your hosting and domain and therefore have an FTP password, you can literally press connect on Dreamweaver and drag and drop the files to the world wide web. It really is that easy.
To go through all the great functions of Dreamweaver 4 would take another 10,000 words or more so I will just leave you with a taster here and I think I have already wetted the appetite to buy this for anyone who was mulling it over. The great thing is that with newer versions on the market, the price for this version has shot right down as a result.
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TextMate
by mharwood
Textmate is, hands-down, the best text editor I have found for the Mac. Many go as far as to call it an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) as it is feature-packed, and extensible.
Textmate handles many types of text files, with many languages supported. If your favourite language seems to be missing, there will almost ... certainly be a "bundle" that will show the proper syntax available. I've never had problems with 100+ files open, either.
There are bundles which make Textmate usage fall far beyond that for just a programmer. You can set up Textmate to post to your blog, or as todo lists mimicking the style of Taskpaper, for instance.
Subversion and other version control systems are also supported, which is a huge help. If you like the indepth abilities provided by tools such as VI and Emacs (a bitter rivalry!), but want the aesthetics of the Mac platform included, Textmate wins on all levels.
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Mr Site
by JJJJ
Web Design can be an incredibly daunting process - i've got a Masters degree in Design for Digital Media - and i'm still useless at it! It's for that reason that I was pleased to find 'Mr Site: Takeaway Website', a system of web design which does all the work for you.
Costing £20 from Amazon, Mr Site works on both PC and Mac, ... as the actual design side of things is done online, and there is no software to install on the computer. The only CD which comes with Mr Site is the electronic instruction manual, which is also provided in booklet form.
After purchasing the product, the first thing to do is to activate your account. This is done by visiting www.mrsite.co.uk and entering the code which is supplied in the box. You can then choose a domain name (including .com, .net, .org & .co.uk) and providing it hasn't already been taken, it will become the primary address of the website you will create.
Designing pages using Mr Site is a really simple process. To start with, you can choose a template for the overall look of the site. The good news is, that these templates are endlessly customisable. You can put in your own banners, background images and logos, and choose your own typeface. It's easy to create a gallery page, and you can even add advanced features like payment systems and feedback forms.
In conclusion, with Mr Site you can design a website and have it online in under an hour. Obviously, if you want something that will look professional, it will take longer - but with this system, a beautiful website can be designed with little or no experience. The great thing about it, is that Mr Site has scope to allow designers with a bit of experience to add their own html programming and advanced features - it really can grow with you. Highly Recommended.
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